Key for container having tear strip



Dec. 6, 1960 S. J. M MAHON, JR

KEY FOR CONTAINER HAVING TEAR STRIP Filed Nov. 23, 1954 INVENT OR STEPHEN .1. M0 MAHON, JR.

ATTORNEYS slot.

KEY FOR CONTAINER HAVING TEAR STRIP Stephen J. McMahon, Jr., Arthur R. Harris, Bristol Road, Hartsville, Pa.

Filed Nov. 23, 1954, Ser. No. 470,748

7 Claims. (Cl. 220-52) This invention relates to containers with tear strips, and to keys therefor, as well as to a cooperative relationship between a particular form of key and a particular form of container.

It is well known in the prior art that containers with tear strips may employ keys for the purpose of removing the tear strip. The most serious drawbacks to this type of container is the additional expense which it entails and any improved container or key which reduces the expense by even a fraction of a cent has greatly improved commercial possibilities. In addition to the expense of the tear strip and key arrangement, there are other disadvantages, such as that the housewifes finger sometimes slips off the key and is cut on the can or tear strip. In addition, there has been some difliculty in gripping the keys when they have been cheaply manufactured. The primary object of the present invention is to overcome these disadvantages in the prior art and produce a container with tear strip and key which is lower in cost, easier and more convenient to operate.

Another object of the invention is to provide a key for containers which is easier to grip with the fingers.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a key for containers which tends to prevent ones fingers from sliding downwardly and being cut on the can or the tear strip.

A further object of the invention is to provide a key for containers wherein the gripping may take place close to the tear strip in order that it may be efliciently operated.

Another object of the invention is to provide a tear strip and key arrangement for containers which tends to prevent the tear strip from slipping out of the slot in the key before the tearing operation is completed.

Another object of the invention is to provide a container with tear strip and key which guides the tearing operation so that the torn strip winds in an even roll,

' whereby the operation may be carried to completion quickly and effectively.

In carrying out the aforesaid objects of the invention, I provide a key made of one-piece round or rectangular shaped wire stock which has been bent into a wing handle to accommodate and protect the fingers with an axle or shank extending from the middle of one of the base wing portions of the handle, the shank carrying the key A flat key material may also be formed or molded at greater expense into similar structure. The base portion of the wing from which the shank extends is flattened in a horizontal direction so as to provide a shelf or flange which rides upon the top of the can and guides the key at all times as the handle is revolved. This limits the downward motion of the key and thus tends to insure that the key will not move downwardly with respect to the tear strip while the tearing operation is in progress. The principles of the invention may be extended to prevent the key from moving upwardly with respect to the tear strip by including a projection or flare at the top edge of the can which limits the upward .movement of the tear strip with respect to the can as tates rem C) 2 the tearing operation is in progress. In addition, the shape of the key is so arranged that during normal gripping the key tends to prevent the fingers from moving downwardly and thus prevents them from being cut on the can or the tear strip. Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear as this description proceeds.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the novel key and container constituting my invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional view of the key and can of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a modified key.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of still another modified form of the key.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of yet another modified form of the key.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of still another modified form of the key.

Figure 7 is a perspective view of an additional modified form of the key.

Figure 8 is a cross sectional view of part of a container suitable for use with the novel key.

Figure 9 is a sectional view of a modified form of container suitable for use with the novel key.

In Figure 1, there is shown a container made of metal or other suitable material and which is of conventional type except as hereinafter explained. This container has the usual tear strip 11 which is engaged in the usual way and the can has the usual scoring so that the tear strip is well defined and easily removable. The key 10 is made of round wire stock and is preferably metal, although it may be made of any other suitable material including a rectangular or ribbon shaped wire, or even a molded or formed fiat material. The round wire stock has been bent to shape as shown and has a generally rectangular wing handle portion. The upper horizontal portion 12 of the rectangular handle (which is vertically flattened) is substantially parallel with the lower wing or base portions 13 and 14 of the rectangular handle. Extending perpendicular from the base portion 13 is a shank portion 15 which carries the usual slotted key hole 16. The can has a main body 17 and a projection 18 extending horizontally outward from the top thereof. The key 10 is, as has been stated, made of round wire stock and is suitably flattened at various points in order to improve the operation and safety thereof. This flattening provides a rounded smooth surface at the narrower edges of the wing members 12, 13 shown in Figure 2. The wire stock is flattened in a vertical plane along the upper horizontal portion 12 of the rectangular handle whereas it is flattened in a horizontal plane along the lower wing or base portions 13 and 14. The key need not, but maybe, flattened along the two vertical sides of the rectangle 19. It is flattened in a vertical plane for a short distance above, at and below the slot 16 and also at the gripping post 22, a most important factor as it centers the housewifes grip.

Also an important aspect of the invention is the flattening in the horizontal plane at wing base portions 13 and 14. This greatly widens the key at this point and provides a large flat portion or shelf permitting the key to ride on the ledge 18 of the can even when the lower wing portions 13) and 14 of the key handle are pointed along a line parallel to a tangent of the ledge 18, as shown in Figure 2. The ledge may be a lock seam flattened on top or a circumferential flange bead as illustrated in Figures 8 and 9. In other Words, the operator during use of the can may press the key 10 downwardly so that the wide flanges 13 and 14 ride on the upper rim or flange 18 of the can. This limits the downward motion of the key and thus controls the position of the key with respect to the tear strip.

It is important in flattening the various portions of the key to preserve the strength thereof and in this regard it is noted that while the base wing portion 13 shouldbeflattened over as much of its surface as. possible and as close to the right-angle bend: 201 as. PQSSl-r ble; the shank should be substantially. round at, and.

for a short distance 21 below, the right-angle bend;

Another important feature ofthe invention. is a. flattening in the vertical plane of the post or. tip 22: which is formed by virtue of a right-angle bend between it and the base portion 14. This post 22 is not only vertically flattened but tapers so that-it becomes thinner. as it approaches the base member 12.. This post 22' is located at the center of the handle and thus centers the grip of .the housewife as she opens the can.- Since: the post 22 is tapered (being thickest adjacent wingor base member 14) it tends to prevent the finger. andthumb which grip it from moving downward as the. keyis pressed downward so that the flanges 13 and 14 rideon the ledge 18 of the container 17.

The prior art has illustrated keys for containers with a washer formed in a separate piece positioned above the slot-carrying shank so that the washer will ride on the'ledge of the can and guide the key. The advantage of my invention over this well known prior art is that by making the key in one piece and flattening it at the appropriate places 13 and 14, the keys may be manufactured at much lower cost and still perform the same function that was performed by the washer of the prior art. Moreover, the flattening and tapering at 22 improve the eflectiveness of'the key and tend to prevent the fingers from slipping off of the key.

Due to the tapered member 22 and the size and shape of the key as a whole, the housewifes eifective gripping. position is much closer to the key slot than in the prior art keys, and therefore she has better control over the key during operation thereof.

The vertical side portions 19 may be flattened in a vertical plane (either parallel to or perpendicular to the plane of flattening of upper portion 12) and in some cases this enables the grip of the key to be improved.

Figure 3 illustrates a modified form of key 30 having an upper horizontal portion 31 flattened in a vertical plane and a lower base wing portion 32 connected to the slot-carrying flange 33. In this form of the invention the base member 32 is flattened in a horizontal plane for the same purpose that base member 13 of Figure 1 was flattened in that plane. In addition, the base member 33 is split into three pieces, one of which has a right-angle bend so that the part 34 projects upwardly as a vertically flattened gripping post or tip. This part is tapered and flattened. so that it becomes broader as it approaches the upper wing member 31, for the same reasons as member 22 was similarly tapered. Member 33 has in addition two semi-circular members 35 and 36 which are flattened in a horizontal plane and form a washer which Will ride upon the flange 18 of the can and thus guide the key with respect to the can. As in the case of Figure l, the end of the lower wing member 32 terminates in a right-angle bend and there is a shank 37 suitably flattened and slotted at 38. As in the case of Figure l, the member 32 should be flattened in a horizontal plane throughout its length and just as close to the right-angle bend as is practically possible and the wire stock at the right-angle bend should be substantially round in order to provide strength.

In Figure 4, the key handle 40 is wound into a rectangular shape with two loops instead of one as in the case of Figure 1. In this figure, the upper horizontal members 41 and 43 are both flattened in vertical planes and the member 41 terminates at one end in the vertical tapering projection 44 which is tapered in a way similar tothe tapering of member 22 of Figure l and performs the samafunction. Upper horizontal member 41 is also connected to base member 42 which is flattened in a horizontal plane and connects to an upper horizontal member 43 which connects to another base member 45 and which in turn connects to the shank 46 and the flattened slotted member 47. The base members 42, 45, 48 and 49 are flattened in a horizontal plane to provide a shelf or flange which rides on the ledge 18 of the can; The flattening is for the same purpose as the flatteningof members 32, 33, 35 and 36 of Figure 3. Membars 46 and 47 have an axis that iscentered with'respect to the rectangular loops; in other words the center line of the shank intersects the middle of bar 42-48 and passes between members 40 and 41.

In Figure 5, the key 50 has flattening in a vertical plane along the upper wing portion 51 and flattening in a horizontal plane along base wing members 52 and 53. The base wing members 52 and 53 respectively have horizontally flattened U-shaped shelf portions 54 and 55 respectively connected thereto. In addition, the horizontally flattened member 55 may have a gripping post or'tip portion 56 which is looped in an inverted U-shape to aid the operator in gripping the key. By having the horizontally flattened members 54 and 55, the key has an enlarged shelf area comprising members 52, 53, 54 and 55. which is capable of riding on the upper ledge of the can at the most critical area of the key handle, namely directly above and immediately surrounding the shank or axle-that is rotated when the key is wound. Moreover, the possibility of these members slipping from the can is reduced by virtue of the lateral displacement of members 54-and 55. Otherwise the key 50 serves the same function as the keys of Figures 1 to 4 inclusive.

The key of Figure 6 is substantially the same in every respect to the key of Figure 5 except that the configuration of the members 52, 53, 54 and 55 is slightly different. One difference in effect or result is. that in Figure 5 the leading edge 57 of the shelf-like member 54 is first to arrive at the ledge 18 of the can by virtue of its V-shape whereas in Figure 6 a portion of the U-shaped shelf member, closer to the center line of the shank, first moves onto the ledge 18, for example portion 58. Another difference is that member 51 is bowed downward to facilitate gripping in which event member 56 may be omitted.

Figure 7 illustrates a modified form of key 70 the bandle of which is generally triangular in shape and hasv a member 71 which is flattened in a vertical plane. The members 72 and 73 are flattened in a horizontal plane. The inverted looped U-shaped member 74 is flattened in a vertical plane and is tapered so that as it approaches the apex of the member 71, it becomes thinner. The flattening of members 72, 73 and 74 is for the same purpose as the flattening of members 13, 14 and 22 of Figure 1. The shank 75 carries the flattened portion and key slot as usual.

Figure 8 illustrates one form of can which is peculiarly arranged to cooperate with my novel key. The can has'an outer side wall 81 having scoring 82 and 83 forming a tear strip 84. The can is conventional in all respects except that the ledge at the top of the can has horizontal projections 85 and 86 which cause the ledge 87 to project outwardly from the side wall of the can a substantial distance. Consequently, the tear strip as it is unwound is limited in its upward motion by the member 88. In addition, the tear strip is limited in a downward direction by the flanges or flattened portions (for example 13 and 14 of Figure 1 or 35 and 36 of Figure 3). Hence the tear strip is guided throughout the entire tearing operation in both upward and downward directions. In Figure 8 the can is a four-piece can having an upper lid portion 85, a cylindrical side wall 81 and an internal cylindrical connecting member 89 which is soldered at its lower end to the inner side wall 81.

The lid 85 has plateaus or flat upper portions SSaand operation. When the key is at the angular position shown in Figure 1, the base portion 14 is riding on portions 85a and 85b of Figure 8. When the key 10 of Figure 1 is rotated by ninety degrees (90), the flattened base members 13 and 14 ride on shelf 85a. Portion 850 is at the normal level of the lid of the can of Figure 8.

Figure 9 illustrates a three-piece can which has an exaggerated ledge for guiding the tear strip. The can 90 has scoring 91 and 92 to form a tear strip 93. The outer side wall of the can has a horizontal flaring 94 and a return flare 95 connected to the lid 96. The vertical side wall 97 of the can is of usual construction. The lower flare 94 limits the upward motion of the tear strip and thus guides the same, while the upper flare 95 limits the downward motion of the flanges (for example 13 and 14 of Figure 1 and 35 and 36 of Figure 3). As a result the key is accurately guided around the can during the tearing operation.

It is also noted in connection with Figures 8 and 9 that the distance A is about equal to the radius of the roll of tear strip when it has been completely rolled upon the key. Preferably distance A is great enough that as the tear strip is rolled upon the shank (15 for example) the roll of tear strip will never get so large in radius that the flattened shelves (13, 14, 35, 36, 42, 45, 48, 49, 54, 55, 72, 73) will lose contact with the upper outer portion of the can as the key is rotated.

In other words, the can ledges 86, 88 and 94 shown in Figures 8 and 9 project sufliciently outward from the can body wall so that the gathering swirls of the tear strip, as they are wound upon the key shank, never move the shank away from the circumferential outer extremity of the can ledges 86, 88 and 94.

The projection or bead 94, 95 also allows one to open the can of Figure 9 with a conventional can opener, for example the can opener of U.S. Patent 2,127,373 or a simple punch type beer can opener.

In Figure 3, the members 35 and 36 preferably have their free ends turned upwardly to a slight degree to prevent them from engaging the ledge of the can.

I claim to have invented:

1. A key for containers having tear strips comprising a bar of material having two horizontal base portions interconnected by a handle portion, the first of said horizontal portions having a right angle bend and proceeding from the bend to form a shank portion, said shank portion having a slotted flat portion to receive the tear strip, the base portions of the bar being flat in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the shank portion so as to provide a shelf which will ride on the outer upper portion of the can to guide the tear strip, the second of said horizontal bar members also having a right-angle bend with the bar material proceeding beyond the bend in a direction substantially opposite to the direction that the shank portion proceeds and which is flattened in a vertical plane to permit easy gripping of the same.

2. A key for containers having tear strips comprising bar material having a shank portion terminating in a right-angle bend to form part of a base portion, the bar material having a handle with a limited portion of the bar near its other end extending in the same plane as said base portion which plane is perpendicular to the axis of the shank portion, said limited portion of the bar including two component parts each of semi-circular shape and the two together forming substantially a circle with the axis of the shank extending through the circle.

3. A key for containers having tear strips as defined in claim 2 which includes a finger gripping element attached to said limited portion and which extends in a direction parallel to the shank portion but proceeds away from said base portion in the opposite direction from the shank portion and which has a tapering contour so that it becomes thicker as the shank portion is approached.

4. A key for containers having tear strips comprising bar material having a shank portion terminating in a right-angle bend and then forming a base portion in which the bar material is flat in a plane perpendicular to the shank portion, and said bar material further proceeding in the form of a loop whereby to provide a handle with a limited portion thereof in the same plane as the aforesaid base portion, the handle portion and the shank portion being in a common vertical plane but the base portion including near the middle thereof bar material substantially spaced from said vertical plane on both sides thereof thereby forming a shelf of strip material extending around the axis of the shank, which shelf will ride on the upper outer edge of the can during substantially 360 degrees of rotation of the key.

5. A key for containers having tear strips comprising a bar in the shape of a triangle with a shank extending perpendicularly away from the middle of the base of the triangle, one end of the bar terminating near the middle of the base of the triangle and the other end of the bar being at the end of the shank portion, the bar being substantially flat in a plane perpendicular to the shank portion along the base portions of the triangle to thereby provide a shelf that will ride on the upper outer portion of the can, said shank portion being connected to the base portion by an inverted U-shaped portion which extends inside the triangular shaped portion of the handle.

6. A key for containers having tear strips comprising a bar of material having a limited portion adjacent one end thereof in the form of a loop to form a handle portion and which loop has a portion projecting outwardly therefrom and generally in the same plane therewith to form a shank portion, said shank portion defining a slot for receiving the tear strip, said key including means for riding on the upper outer part of the can to limit the downward motion of the key, said bar material including means adapted to be gripped by the thumb and forefinger of the hand that holds the loop to limit the downward motion of the thumb and forefinger comprising a projecting part of the bar which extends in a direction generally away from the shank portion and into the space within the loop, said projecting part having a portion in the loop which is thinner than other portions of said part closer to the shank portion whereby said thinner portion may be gripped with the thumb and forefinger, the thicker portion of said projecting part limiting the downward motion of the thumb and forefinger.

7. A key for containers having tear strips comprising a rectangular coil of bar material having at least two turns with the last turn having a right-angle bend ex-- tending from the middle of the base of the coil and perpendicular thereto in a direction away from the coil to thereby provide a shank portion, said shank portion being slotted, the turns of the coil forming the base portion being flat in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the shank portion to form a shelf which will ride upon the upper outer portion of the can, a limited portion of the end of the bar material opposite the shank end having a right-angle bend so that it extends in a direction generally parallel to the shank portion but in opposite direction thereto and being tapered with the thicker portion of the taper being closest to the shank portion whereby when the rectangular coils are gripped with the finger said taper portion will prevent the finger from slipping downwardly.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 661,253 Zimmerman Nov. 6, 1900 2,104,005 Arnesen Jan. 4, 1938 2,300,270 Wakefield Oct. 27, 1942 2,430,036 Thornburgh et a1. Nov. 4, 1947 2,621,828 Osmers Dec. 16, 1952 

